Astaxanthin Combined With Collagen for Skin Health

by | Feb 22, 2017 | 2014, Astaxanthin, Skin Health

Written by Marcia J. Egles, MD. Of the 44 healthy Korean women with photoaging of the skin those, who supplemented with 2 mg of astaxanthin and 3 grams of collagen hydrolysate for 12 weeks, had a significant improvement in skin elasticity and skin hydrogen compared to control.

skin healthA small clinical study from Seoul, Korea reports that dietary astaxanthin supplements, when combined with dietary collagen supplements, improved facial elasticity as well as several other measures of skin health. The researchers also worked to decipher the cellular mechanisms which yielded these benefits.

Prior studies have suggested that both astaxanthin and collagen supplements may each have beneficial effects against skin damage caused by sun exposure 1-4. This Korean study is the first study to investigate a combination of astaxanthin with collagen hydrolysate to reduce the photoaging of skin 5. 

Like lutein and beta-carotene, the pink-hued astaxanthin is a carotenoid pigment with strong antioxidant properties 6. Antioxidants may be helpful against photoaging as this process is thought to involve reactive oxygen species. Collagen hydrolysate also exhibits antioxidant activity, and has been shown to be involved in the synthesis of skin structure 4. The source of astaxanthin used in this study was the microalgae Haematococcus pluvialis. The collagen was fish collagen.

Forty-four healthy female volunteers, aged 40 to 57 years, participated in the twelve-week, randomized double-blind, placebo controlled study. All of the women had facial wrinkles greater than grade 2 (for grading scale, see 7), or “moderately photoaged “skin. Clinical assessments of the facial skin were conducted at baseline and after 4 and 12 weeks of the dietary supplements.

One wrinkle in the study was a significant (p= 0.044) difference between the control group and the treatment group concerning one baseline parameter involving skin elasticity. Otherwise, the control group and treatment group were matched at baseline in terms of age, weight, skin hydration measures, and two others measures of skin elasticity.

For the twelve weeks, each woman was to consume capsules containing 2 milligrams of astaxanthin per day and tablets containing 3 grams of collagen hydrolysate per day. Compliance was assessed by pill count. For inclusion in the study, each woman had to consume at least 80% of the pills. Only one person was excluded based on unsatisfactory compliance. No significant adverse reactions were reported.

The supplemented group showed significant (p = 0.035, p= 0.020, p=0.012) improvements in three tests of skin elasticity and one test of transepidermal water loss (a measure of skin barrier integrity function, p= 0.045) after 12 weeks, compared with the placebo group. Skin elasticity began to improve after 4 weeks of supplementation, and the effect was maintained with continued supplementation for 12 weeks.   The study did not comment on the cosmetic appearance of the skin.

Twelve of the women were willing to participate more extensively, above and beyond the daily supplements and the non-invasive facial skin tests. These twelve, six from the supplemented group and six from the control group, agreed to undergo buttock skin biopsies after localized skin irradiation both at baseline and at the end of twelve weeks.   The individual dosage of ultra-violet irradiation was the minimal amount necessary to cause skin redness.

The biopsy data yielded clues as to the cellular mechanisms by which the supplements improved the skins elasticity and function. There was no significant difference found in UV- damage to the DNA between the two groups. However, there were differences in the mechanisms for cellular repairs. The supplemented group showed increases in procollagen pathways, but decreases in the pathways that break down skin structures. Procollagen is a building block of skin structures.   The treatment of astaxanthin plus collagen induced a 3.4-fold increase in procollagen messenger RNA levels in UV-irradiated skin compared with that in the placebo group (P = .038) at 12 weeks. Procollagen messenger RNA is the signal for procollagen to be produced. However, levels of messenger RNA for the coding of enzymes that break down skin structures decreased significantly (p=0.027 for MMP-1(collagenase) and p=0.050 for MMP-12 (elastase)) in the supplemented group, compared with the placebo group. Collagenase and elastase are enzymes that break down skin structures.

The researchers intend to pursue further studies of the mechanisms by which dietary astaxanthin and collagen can optimize skin repair and metabolism (1).  

Source: Hyun-Sun Yoon, Hyun Hee Cho, Soyun Cho, Se-Rah Lee,Mi-Hee Shin, Jin Ho Chung. Supplementating with dietary astaxanthin combined with collagen hydrolysate improves facial Elasticity and decreases matrix metalloproteinase-1 and -12 expression: a comparative study with placebo. J Med Food 17 (7) 2014, 810–816; DOI: 10.1089/jmf.2013.3060

© Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., and Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition

Posted February 21, 2017.

References:

  1. Lyons NM, O’Brien NM. Modulatory effects of an algal extract containing astaxanthin on UVA-irradiated cells in culture. Journal of dermatological science. 2002;30(1):73-84.
  2. Suganuma K, Nakajima H, Ohtsuki M, Imokawa G. Astaxanthin attenuates the UVA-induced up-regulation of matrix-metalloproteinase-1 and skin fibroblast elastase in human dermal fibroblasts. Journal of dermatological science. 2010;58(2):136-142.
  3. Hama S, Takahashi K, Inai Y, et al. Protective effects of topical application of a poorly soluble antioxidant astaxanthin liposomal formulation on ultraviolet‐induced skin damage. Journal of pharmaceutical sciences. 2012;101(8):2909-2916.
  4. Liang J, Pei X, Zhang Z, Wang N, Wang J, Li Y. The Protective Effects of Long‐Term Oral Administration of Marine Collagen Hydrolysate from Chum Salmon on Collagen Matrix Homeostasis in the Chronological Aged Skin of Sprague‐Dawley Male Rats. Journal of food science. 2010;75(8):H230-H238.
  5. Yoon H-S, Cho HH, Cho S, Lee S-R, Shin M-H, Chung JH. Supplementing with Dietary Astaxanthin Combined with Collagen Hydrolysate Improves Facial Elasticity and Decreases Matrix Metalloproteinase-1 and-12 Expression: A Comparative Study with Placebo. Journal of medicinal food. 2014;17(7):810-816.
  6. Miki W. Biological functions and activities of animal carotenoids. Pure and Applied Chemistry. 1991;63(1):141-146.
  7. Chung JH, Lee SH, Youn CS, et al. Cutaneous photodamage in Koreans: influence of sex, sun exposure, smoking, and skin color. Archives of dermatology. 2001;137(8):1043-1051.